Arriving at Ms D's house, the task became quickly clear: as per her request, the front garden needed attention first because the entrance to the house was becoming obstructed by ivy and other plants. After a friend brought over some tools, we both went to work - especially on the ivy, which desperately needed a trim. We are happy to say that by the time we left, the house entrance was safer and 11 bags were filled with what we cleared from the front garden. Another positive note - neighbours who past by were very happy to see that GoodGym helped their neighbour through this mission - they already knew us from another task in their community and thanked us for our efforts.

It was great to welcome Diana for a first GoodGym task, Charlie for a second, Šana who's no stranger to GoodGym, but new to us in Newham, and Kirsti, visiting from GoodGym Tower Hamlets and swapping choir practice for a spot of Crisis management.

We set off from Freaks and Geeks with Graham, Adam, Kirsti, Charlie and me, running down to the warehouse in the somewhat industrial part of Canning Town. We met Šana there, followed by Diana, while our host Chris was delayed in the logistical challenge of getting stock distributed across Crisis’ London shops. All was forgiven, though: Chris is such a passionate advocate for the amazing and much-needed work Crisis does, and his enthusiasm for the cause is infectious. It was a good reminder that, behind all the bags, cages and warehouse logistics, there’s a bigger purpose to what we were helping with.

Tonight’s task was getting Christmas stock ready to go out to the shops. That meant keeping up the proud (and occasionally questionable) GoodGym tradition of moving things from one place to another and then moving them back again. We moved a mountain of bags from one big pile into lots of separate piles. Then we moved some of those piles into cages. Then we moved the piles back again. Job done, and the warehouse is a little more ready for the beginnings of the festive rush.

With the bags sorted and the stock suitably shuffled, we called it a night. A satisfying bit of teamwork, some useful lifting, and another contribution to the work Crisis does supporting people experiencing homelessness.

We’ll be back on 24th November, and there may even be a bonus task or two on 28th November at a Crisis pop-up event on Savile Row. Apparently, donated designer clothing helped raise around £100,000 at the last event. It’s hard not to wonder who buys it all, apart from other celebrities and wealthy people. Perhaps the same designer jackets just do laps of the same circle of wardrobes...

If the pop-up task goes ahead, we could be helping load the fancy stuff in Canning Town, with a separate team on hand to unload it at the other end. Watch this space!

A big well done to everyone who came along and helped get those bags moving. Join us for the next round? See what else is coming up with GoodGym Newham — there’s always room for another pair of hands (and legs).

Charlton House and Gardens welcomed a mighty team of two yesterday, as a last-minute volunteer pairing, whose name is Šana, arrived ready to bring some help from Newham.

Šana and I could be found chatting, drinking tea, taking photos of each other and generally creating the impression that we'd signed up for a content creation mission rather than a gardening one.

Behind the scenes, however, some surprisingly productive work was taking place.

Equipped with a shiny wheelbarrow and pair of garden shears, Šana went off to tackle the overgrown bushes surrounding the open space garden, filling an entire wheelbarrow or two with cut thickets and staying longer than Aidyn on that day! Aidyn was somehow teamed up with a couple of local CABAHS volunteers headed into the wilderness area armed with a trowels and a bag of 500 bulbs! Battling thick and wet grass and stubborn ground, we managed to plant staggering half of that never-ending bag!

Meanwhile, the mountain of greenery removed by my teammate, Šana, helped tidy up those bushes!

The photographic evidence may suggest we spent the afternoon posing dramatically and documenting our every move, but the final tally tells a different story:

🌷 c 200-250 bulbs planted in the wilderness area in conjunction with CABAHS team! 🌿 One wheelbarrow packed full of cut thickets removed 📸 Countless photos taken for "proof" ☕ Cups of tea and plenty of banter consumed

A successful afternoon at Charlton House and Gardens proving that, with enough determination, it's possible to be both productive volunteers and photo queens at the same time (proven before countless times)!